mirror mirror on the wall

mirrors, seems as if they are everywhere I turn lately screaming hey Nat, just wanted to remind you that you still have hormonal acne and oh by the way your t-shirt is on backwards. Why is it that six months post baby I remain marked by the "mask of pregnancy" you know the brown patches that pop up in the most inconvenient places like my upper lip for instance... not only does pregnancy kick hair growth into warp speed it is accentuate by these attractive Texas shaped patches on my cheeks. I would like the mask to be informed that I am no longer pregnant and therefore they may vacate at anytime. I suppose I will add it to the list of things that come with the territory, you know stretch marks, the mask, having to wear spanks with most every dress from now on. Sometimes it seems as if I am being a little ummm shallow, I wish that I could be the girl that embraced her scars and marks as badges of accomplishment., but I am not, instead I scan the shelves at the local wal-greens in search of a miracle in a bottle to erase what sun exposure, hormones, and oh yeah a 48 lb weight gain in a short 9 months did to my skin. What do I end up with? shea butter, why? because its 4 dollars. does it work? Of course not. Wash, exfoliate, moisturize you know the same ritual we all have,, the one the 20 year old pimple free, not a wrinkle in sight clinique girl told us about. I listen attentively as she critiques my regimen of- scrub furiously with pro-active, pick at it for a while, then slather on twice the required amount of "healing lotion." So after 20 minutes of verbal discipline I swipe my debt card and she gingerly smiles, "thanks and good luck." Right,, I'm thinking- no amount of good luck is going erase this mask o preggo and your silly little 3 step wont get me the cover of vogue or even help me to make eye contact with the cashier at dunkin donuts. But what the hay? I have nothing to lose... except money. (sorry hard working hub) I use that 3 step religiously even though my dermatologist suggest that in her, "professional opinion" I should just use a mild cleanser...uh hum been there done that and again I swipe the debt card... which brings back to aisle 3 at wal-greens and back to the hope that is found in the sea of facial products staring back at me.